Salts have certain desirable properties when dissolved in a solvent. Salts may affect the pH, osmolality, osmolarity, partial pressure and other physical properties of a solution. Salts also vary in solubility. For example, ten grams of a certain salt may dissolve completely in 90 grams of water while ten grams of another salt will remain undissolved in 90 grams of water. A mixture of different salts may also have increased or decreased solubility when compared to the individual constituents of the mixture alone. Dry salts, or salts substantially free of water, also impart a more rapid drying response when contacted with a wet surface. It is believed that the disruption by salt molecules of the ionic, Van der Waals, hydrogen-bonding forces and other physical forces between solvent molecules allows for more rapid dissipation of solvent molecules from the solution. Likewise, certain salts in solution may quickly dry a wet surface, membrane, or substrate when the chemical interactions of the solution are changed.
These properties of salts have particular significance in the food industry. Salts have been used for thousands of years to season food, preserve food from bacterial growth, and to dry food and bind water. Many of these foods are prepared by adding a particular food product such as meat, cheese, and vegetable matter into a membrane which is congealed upon addition of a dry salt or salt solution. Certain salts are also known to coagulate, or congeal, a protein in solution or on the surface of food products. The term “coagulate” means to remove water from the protein solution. Sausages are but one product of this mode of food preparation.
The art of sausage making is an ancient craft encompassing a diverse range of products. There are many types of sausages including (1) ground, fresh sausage products, (2) emulsion-type sausages such as frankfurters, wieners, bologna, liver sausage, and other processed sausage products, and (3) fermented sausage products. The present invention has application to the manufacture of any type of sausage that is put into a casing. In addition, the compositions and methods can be used not only in the production of sausages, but may also be used in the production of other food products containing collagen, such as fish, meat, vegetables and cheese. The term food product shall hereinafter refer to any edible substance which can incorporate or become surrounded by collagen.
Food grade acids are commonly used in the manufacture of sausage products to spray product surfaces prior to smoking or cooking. The acid reduces surface pH and promotes coagulation of protein at the surface. Acetic acid or vinegar are used extensively. Liquid smoke, when sprayed, dipped, or atomized onto sausage surfaces, imparts flavor, improves color, and aids peeling in some instances.
Various binders/extenders are added to sausage meat formulations to improve emulsion stability, to improve cooking yields, to improve slicing characteristics, to improve flavor, and to reduce formulation costs. Binders/extenders, when utilized, are typically added in amounts up to 3.5%. Typical binders/extenders include cereal byproducts, starch, vegetable flour, soy flour, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, hydrocolloids, sugars, nonfat dry milk, and calcium-reduced nonfat dry milk. Finally, sausage formulations contain salt (sodium chloride), and sometimes alkaline phosphates. Depending on the type of sausage product, salt may be present in an amount of from 0–5% of the final product weight.
As is well-known in the art, once all the ingredients have been ground and/or chopped, mixed, and emulsified, the resulting sausage batter may be transferred to stuffers for extruding the batter mix into casings. After the emulsion is stuffed in the casings, the encased mass may be tied with thread or fastened with metal clips. The stuffed and linked sausage products may then be transferred to a smoke house wherein the sausage products undergo a specialized drying and cooking operation in which the sausage emulsion is coagulated. After smoking and cooking, the product is showered with cold water and then chilled by refrigeration. Finally, after properly chilling the product, usually to a temperature of 35° F. to 40° F., casings may be removed by a peeling operation.
In modern sausage and other food product processors, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,155 to Kobussen, et al., herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, the sausage filling is coextruded along with a collagen gel, which will form the casing. In order to form the casing, the collagen gel must be dehydrated and the collagen protein structure is altered in order to have the strength and functionality for further processing. This casing has the disadvantage of requiring a coagulation and air drying stages being costly in terms of energy consumption, length and inefficiency of drying times. The food product is simply prepared in too great a quantity and at too rapid a rate to allow for the traditional coagulation and drying steps. The coagulation and drying steps are enhanced by a brine solution. Specifically, the prior art salts do not meet all the needs of sausage manufacturers, such as those salts found in the Kobussen, et al. reference above.
Thus, what is needed are compositions and methods of decreasing the coagulation and drying times of the collagen by contacting it with a quick drying, high solubility and neutral pH salt solutions to enhance the coagulation process. What is also needed are compositions and methods which allow the combination of these two steps by the addition of a salt spray which both coagulates and dries the food product in a single step.
The invention will be described further in connection with the Example set forth below which is for purposes of illustration only. All percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated.